Contents

Background

According to My Roanoke Nightmare, Scáthach is an English woman descended from the Druids and their Roman conquerors, who left for the British colonies as a stowaway on a voyage that was plagued with death. Upon being discovered at landfall, the British soldiers blamed Scáthach's female presence for enraging the sea gods. The soldiers imprisoned her and sentenced her to be burned at the stake as a witch. Scáthach answered the call of more ancient and bloodthirsty gods and massacred the soldiers, thereby incriminating the Native Americans and allowing her to escape into the wild.

In the late 1500s, Scathach came across the exiled former leader of the Roanoke colony, Tomasin White, who she spared from a wild boar, in exchange for her soul. After White returned to Roanoke and violently regained control of the colony, the colonists were subjugated to follow in Scáthach's religious ways. The colony migrated to a location in North Carolina, one hundred miles away. White's own son, Ambrose, defied his mother and called on the colonists to return to Christ. As such, Tomasin personally killed the entire colony, so that their souls would belong to Scáthach. As a final component of the deal, White let Scáthach take her life, for eternal posthumous servitude.

In the centuries since, many have encountered Scáthach and her ghostly Roanoke followers. While most would die under White's blade, Scáthach had a strong sexual appetite that she loved to have sated by hapless men.

Personality and Appearance

Scáthach is often seen wearing rags and having dirt and blood on her face and body. She has long, thick russet hair and an animal skull on the top of her head. She usually carries bloody human or animal remains. She is commonly heard cackling in a childlike yet sinister voice which echoes in the woods, and screeches like a vulture when others invoke her wrath.

When Elias shows up at the Roanoke House, he offers to help Matt and Shelby find Flora by taking them to a portion of the woods where Priscilla likes to play. On the way, Scathach appears and beckons Matt to come to her, but this becomes interrupted by a furious Shelby, who chases her into the forest. Before Shelby can catch up with her, Scathach disappears without a trace.

After Shelby and Matt accept the help of Cricket, the psychic medium calls out the attention of Scathach, demanding information on the paranormal events happening in exchange for offering her Matt. Appearing suddenly from the night fog, Scathach blows a dark enchanted powder into his eyes, blinding him as she intends to kill him with a ritualistic dagger. After hearing his offer to give her Matt, however, she takes him many years back in time, agreeing to show him what he desires. Under her spell, Cricket sees the beginning of the Roanoke colony under her rule, when the ancient murder of children took place by the hands of The Butcher, who sacrificed them in the name of the old gods to appease their wrath and prosper in the colony's chosen land.

Later, Matt hears frightening noises outside and hesitantly leaves the house to investigate, only to once again fall under the sway of Scathach's enchantments. Despite trying his hardest to defend himself against his growing urges for her, he is incapable of denying her mind-bending influence on him and falls to her will, once again offering up his body to her. Through her sorcery, she unveils her backstory to him via bizarre, dream-like hallucinations during their encounter.[2]

In the nights of Return to Roanoke: 3 Days in Hell, Matt begins to sleepwalk to the basement, where Scathach awaits. Upon this being discovered by Shelby, Scathach emits an angry inhuman screech at the mortal before vanishing into the darkness, leaving Matt to confess that he only agreed to participate in the show because of his love for the witch, admitting that it was this undying devotion for Scathach that broke apart his and Shelby's marriage. Shelby reacts by violently bludgeoning him in the head with a crowbar. [3]

On the final night, Scathach offers Lee a freshly-snatched boar heart, reminiscent of what she did with The Butcher centuries ago, which results in Lee becoming just as evil and bloodthirsty as her predecessor. [4]

Powers

Scáthach is a human-turned immortal witch and the original Supreme, who holds mastery over all seven of the Seven Wonders.

Immortality - The ability to live forever in eternal life, immune to all aging, disease, and death.

Enhanced Agility - The ability to perform motions, or movements, at a speed and effortlessness that surpasses that of a normal member of the user's species, possessed of enhanced speed, balance, endurance, flexibility, and reflexes.

Telekinesis - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to manipulate objects with one's mind. Scáthach was able to telekinetically remove a cage from the Butcher's head.

Transmutation - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to move instantaneously from one location to another. This power is more commonly known as Teleportation. Scáthach magically disappeared whilst being chased by Shelby Miller, and later appeared suddenly from the night fog to threaten Cricket.

Concilium - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to bend the will of another individual and force them to do whatever the user desires. This power is more commonly known as Mind Control. Scáthach was able to compel Matt Miller into having sex with her, and erase his memories of the event.

Pyrokinesis - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to create, control, and manipulate fire with one's mind. As a Supreme, it is implied that Scáthach possesses this and all other Seven Wonders.

Divination - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to gain knowledge through indirect means. As Supreme, it is implied that Scáthach possesses this and all other Seven Wonders.

Vitalum Vitalis - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to balance the scales of life and death. As a Supreme, it is implied that Scáthach possesses this and all other Seven Wonders.

Descensum - One of the Seven Wonders, the magical ability to descend into the nether worlds of the afterlife. This power is also known as Astral Projection. As a Supreme, it is implied that Scáthach possesses this and all other Seven Wonders.

Eternal Servitude - The magical ability to control others by stealing their souls, performed via a ceremony. Scáthach used this power to control both the Butcher and Lee Harris, forcing them to eat a boar heart that epitomized the dispensation of their free will. Any injuries inflicted upon the recipients prior to them consuming the heart appear to be healed after this, as Lee seemed invincible despite her scarred leg. Thus far, Scáthach is the only witch within the series that has displayed this ability.

Illusion Manipulation - The magical ability to create, shape and manipulate illusions, causing others to see, hear, touch, smell and/or taste things which do not actually exist or cause them to perceive things differently from what they truly are. Scáthach used this power on both Matt Miller and Cricket Marlowe; first by showing Cricket visions of the Roanoke colony's sacrificial beginning, and then on Matt when revealing visions of her past.

Notes

For unknown reasons, Scáthach has displayed an interest in both of the Miller siblings - Matt as her consort and Lee to become a new, living Butcher. The reasoning behind this remains a mystery and has yet to be revealed.

Scáthach's name comes from a legendary warrior woman figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.

In Irish, Scáthach means "shady", or more literally "shadowy".

Scáthach may be inspired by Arduinna, a Celtic goddess of the moon, hunting, and forests, whose sacred animal is the wild boar.

Unlike the witches seen in Coven, who look like normal human beings, Scáthach appears to be more in line with the archetypal hag or crone version of witches portrayed in fairy tales and folklore, possessing sharp yellow fangs, mossy greenish skin pervaded with black veins, long scraggly russet hair topped with an animal skull (which she uses as a ritualistic headdress), and unnatural, mismatched eyes. She has the power to steal her victims' souls, cackles wickedly in the forest, and vocalizes a frightening, unearthly shriek when angry. She also refers to the Roanoke colony as "children" - a possible reference to Hansel and Gretel.

Her greenish skin is similar to the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz 1939 film.

In her true form, Scáthach appears to have one glass-like, milky white-colored eye. It is unknown if this is because she is partly blind, wears an artificial eye, or if this eye possesses its own magical qualities. Regardless, both eyes appear to be equally bloodshot at their scleras.

Ryan Murphy has confirmed that Scáthach is the original Supreme, pre-dating the Salem witches by centuries. [5]

Opposed to being born a witch, Scáthach was a normal human being who became one through the worship of ancient deities. These aforementioned gods may hail from both ancient Roman and Druidic practices, as she is said to descend from both the Druids and the Romans. Her magical powers may exist as a result of the human sacrifices she demands the Roanoke colony to carry out; consequently, it is possible that if these sacrifices were to end, she would lose her magic. However, it is also possible that the old gods taught her magic and, as a means of honoring them, she continues to perform sacrifices in their name.

Due to the Roanoke Colony committing human sacrifices in the name of the old gods, Scáthach has been granted endless life, thereby allowing her to surpass the average 30-50 year lifespan of other Supreme witches. The relationship between Papa Legba and Marie Laveau was very similar to this, as Legba kept Marie immortal in exchange for annual human sacrifices.

Quotes

To The Butcher: "They are all children in need of discipline. Bend them to thy will. Shed their blood. Release the power of the Blood Moon. Thou shalt have their souls enslaved to thee. Thy servants for eternity."